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The lesson to be drawn from the current Israeli political stalemate is that Israel is imploding, breaking into the elements it has never managed to integrate into one. The schism is no longer the more quotidian dichotomy of Ashkenazi vs. Arab Jews (aka Sephardim); this divide is ideological, religious, spiritual, political, ethnic and cultural. Nor does it break down to Left and Right, Jewish Israelis are politically with the right even when they pretend to be ‘Left.’ Although some of the most astute critical voices of Israeli politics and Jewish fundamentalism are Israelis (such as Gideon Levi, Shlomo Sand, Israel Shamir and others), there is no political Israeli Left. Israeli politics break down into a lot of extreme right voters and many ordinary hawks. The Arab Joint List Party is practically the only Left party in the Israeli Knesset. This should not be surprising any more. Jewish Left, as I have been arguing for many years, is an oxymoron; Jewishness is a form of tribal identification and Left is universal. The ‘tribal’ and the ‘universal’ are like oil and water, they do not mix very well.

What is peculiar about the Israeli political divide is that the Israelis are more united than ever in their nationalist beliefs and in the primacy of their Jewish symptoms. Why is it, if the Israelis are so unified, that no one can form a government in their so-called ‘Jewish State’?

Avigdor Lieberman, formerly an enthusiastic Netanyahu ally and himself a radical Jewish nationalist, delved into the Israeli political deadlock yesterday. He maintained that the elections had already been decided: “The ultra-Orthodox and Messianic bloc reaches 62-61 seats.” The leader of the rabid nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu said, “If there is no voting rate of at least 70% in Gush Dan and Sharon, the Halacha government will be established.”

Basically, Lieberman said that unless secular Israelis in Tel Aviv go to the polls, they should expect to live in a Halacha State under an ultra right wing Netanyahu government. Lieberman appears to hold the key to Israel’s political stability. Although he and Netanyahu are ideological twins regarding Israeli security and nationalist matters, the two are bitter rivals who fight aggressively against each other. Netanyahu has known for a few years that, absent a strong ultra right wing government, he can expect to spend some time behind bars, an adventure that has become common for Israel’s prime political figures. Netanyahu’s natural partners are the ultra right parties and the orthodox parties. Ideologically, Lieberman should also feel comfortable within such a political coalition but Lieberman has made a crucial political decision, essential for his political survival. A while back he grasped that his political home base, Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union, many of them barely Jewish and subjected to constant rabbinical terror, regard the Jewish Orthodox parties as their ultimate foes. Many of these Russian and Ukrainian Jews hold ultra right wing political positions but also see the Rabbis as an imminent threat to their survival.

Theoretically, Lieberman could broker a huge unity coalition with Netanyahu at the top, joined by Blue and White (Kachol Lavan) and its three right wing field marshals, Lieberman’s own party and probably the Labour party. Such a coalition would hold around 80 Knesset seats, more than enough to sustain a strong government but this coalition would refuse to guarantee Netanyahu’s immunity.

Netanyahu gambles instead on a weak ultra right wing religious government, a government that may not hold for very long but would buy more time for its PM to stay out of jail.

This conflict at the heart of Israeli politics is a window into the Jewish state and its fears. Israel is rapidly becoming an Orthodox Jewish state. Israel’s Orthodox Jews are the fastest growing group in the country. They are also the country’s poorest population, 45 percent live below the poverty line in segregated communities. Ordinarily, one would expect the poor to support the left, but Israeli Torah Jews are rabid nationalists and openly lend their support to Benjamin Netanyahu and his party.

Prof. Dan Ben-David of Tel Aviv University warned recently that Israel could cease to exist in a couple of generations. He pointed to the astonishingly high birth rate among ultra Orthodox Jews and predicted that, based on current trends, they will comprise 49% of Israel’s population by 2065. The ultra Orthodox parties are destined to dominate the Knesset within a generation or less. Ben David predicts that their dependence on Israel’s welfare system will lead to a rapid decline is Israel’s economy. This is economically damaging enough and is made worse by the refusal of most rabbinical schools to incorporate standard Western subjects such as mathematics, science and English into their core curriculum. Consequently, Israel is educating a growing percentage of its population in a fashion that fails to equip them to contribute to the needs of a hi-tech society that is immersed in a conflict for survival.

The picture that comes across is peculiar. As Israel becomes increasingly Jewish and fundamentalist in its nationalist and religious ethos, it has also become more divided on everything else. The Russian immigrants find it impossible to live alongside the ultra Orthodox and vice versa. The secular enclave in Tel Aviv is committed to seeing their metropolis as an extension of NY. The Israeli Left has morphed into an LGBT hasbara unit. It has practically removed itself from the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Jewish settlers adhere to the concept of a ‘Two Jewish States Solution.’ They want to see the West Bank become a Jewish land. Orthodox Jews are barely concerned with any of these political issues. They well know that the future of the Jewish state belongs to them. All they need to do is sustain a productive secular Jewish minority to serve as their milk cow. On top of all of that we face Bibi’s survival wars that threaten to escalate any minute into a world conflict.

In light of all of this, the Palestinians are in relatively good shape.. They simply need to survive. Israel seems to be Israel’s fiercest enemy.

My battle for truth and freedom involves some expensive legal and security services. I hope that you will consider committing to a monthly donation in whatever amount you can give. Regular contributions will enable me to avoid being pushed against a wall and to stay on top of the endless harassment by Zionist operators attempting to silence me and others.

Make no mistake. Israel is run by anti-democratic hardliners. Nuclear armed and dangerous, along with maintaining stockpiles of chemical, biological, and other banned terror weapons, Israel is a Middle East menace.

It’s second only to the regional threat posed by the US presence — the real axis of evil, along with their NATO and despotic Arab state allies.

Hezbollah is part of Lebanon’s government. In May 2018 general elections, its candidates and allies won a 67-seat majority of parliament’s 128 seats – equally divided between Muslims and Christians.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah called parliamentary results a “political and moral victory” for the resistance — giving the group and its allies power to veto legislation they consider unacceptable.

Under Lebanon’s confessional system, the president must be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, and the parliament speaker a Shia Muslim.

Hezbollah is falsely designated a terrorist organization by the State Department, at the behest of Israel.

It’s nothing of the sort, maintaining a military wing for self-defense alone — in a part of the world boiling from US/NATO/Israeli aggression.

In a Monday televised address, Nasrallah warned Israel of a strong response if it attacks Lebanese territory aggressively, saying:

If the IDF “attack(s), then all your borders and forces will be at risk.”

Hezbollah is much stronger than during 2006 Israeli aggression on Lebanon, embarrassing IDF ground forces at the time.

Its thousands of missiles and rockets can strike targets anywhere in Israel if the IDF attacks its positions or strikes other Lebanese targets.

In response to Israel’s preemptive attack on Lebanese soil in late August, Nasrallah announced the “start of a new phase, Hezbollah “no longer” observing red lines.

“We have a higher level of deterrence now, and we have changed the rules of engagement,” Nasrallah stressed, adding:

“…Israeli aggression is over…(W)e will no longer tolerate Israeli violation of Lebanon airspace.” He vowed to retaliate against unlawful IDF incursions.

“The Lebanese have the right to defend themselves, and we will defend. There is now a new operational space, and it is Lebanon’s skies. When it comes to dealing with the UAVs, it will happen. I won’t specify when and how, but it will come,” Nasrallah stressed.

With full support and encouragement from both right wings of the US war party, Israel operates with impunity.

The world community never held it accountable for its high crimes against defenseless Palestinians and regional states, nor its repeated breaches of Security Council resolutions and other international laws.

Is another Israeli war on Lebanon coming? On September 17, Israeli Knesset elections will be held.

If Netanyahu’s Likud party and hard right allies fail to gain a coalition majority, maybe things will cool down for a while.

If he’s reelected prime minister again, anything ahead is possible.

At the same time, he faces bribery, fraud and breach of trust charges, an October 2 and 3 pre-indictment hearing scheduled.

The jury is out on whether he’ll be held accountable for the above offenses.

No Israeli politician (or high-ranking IDF official) was ever held accountable for high crimes against Palestinians, supporting terrorism, or terror-bombing other countries – far more serious crimes than civil wrongdoing.

A Final Comment

DEBKAfile (DF) is connected to Israeli military intelligence. On Monday, it published a propaganda report, falsely claiming Iran and Hezbollah “plot(ed) (an) anti-Israel drive at (a) secret Beirut summit” in August.

DF admitted having no knowledge of what may have been discussed by Iranian and Hezbollah officials, if a Beirut summit actually occurred last month.

DF falsely claimed their officials discussed “a counsel of war to set out a joint program of operations against US and Israeli Middle East targets in the coming weeks.”

The Islamic Republic and Hezbollah never preemptively attacked another country — what the US, NATO, and Israel do repeatedly.

Beirut – Everything in it was news. It was a victory document embellished with the resistance’s heroism. And Sayyed’s [Hassan Nasrallah] voice was not a frequent occurrence.

An event of this kind should be recorded for generations to come and in the memories of those who witnessed, participated and were present during the war. It was an aggressive war that lasted 33 days. Everyday in it was a memory being renewed. Then this memory becomes old with the passing of time. The free people use the testaments of victory as a reference. The July war was a witness – and still is – that a strong Lebanon with its resistance has defeated the arrogant entity. This was the most beautiful truth and news, and Sayyed concluded the last days of fighting with it.

The Memory of victory comes back

With precision and enthusiasm, the news and political programs director at Al-Jadeed channel, Mariam al-Bassam tells al-Ahed news about that surprise interview.

“We had asked to conduct an interview with His Eminence, but the conditions of approval were outside our expectations. Suddenly, without warning or notice, and during a regular workday, I found out that the interview was arranged. And we must immediately move,” Al-Bassam recalls.

“It was really a surprise to me. I was informed of the interview minutes before and I was not picturing it at all,” she told al-Ahed.

“Things were not so simple. Nothing was prepared for me, from content to form. I did not even have a pen and paper. And I still remember my confusion at that time until I found a notebook in the house where we recorded the interview,” she added.

After the aggression, Al-Bassam was the first to interview the person who fought a qualitative media war in the face of one of the most sophisticated armies.

She describes those moments well.

“Television interviews were never on the list of my professional pursuits. But I consider the interview I conducted with Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah 13 years ago as the adornment of this worldly life. And I have drawn a separating line before and after it,” she said.

At the time Sayyed said the interview was important. Al-Bassam explains to al-Ahed why that is.

“It came directly after the ceasefire and the end of the war,” she continued. “It was a meeting on top of the rubble. From that rubble, it was my duty as a journalist to extract development and architecture in politics, position and the course that the coming days would take in addition to the file regarding the restoration and improvement of the place.”

Al-Bassam remembers the details of that interview. She also remembers discussions she had with her colleagues and friends before and after it. She tells us about “a very special meeting in Al-Safir newspaper. I was asked: What was the first thing that caught your attention? I answered spontaneously: Sayyed’s shoes. All possessions have no value when compared to the dust on his shoes.”

Sayyed above Ground

Sayyed lived his daily life like ordinary people. According to Al-Bassam, Sayyed clearly exhibited keenness on the safety of the people and their situation.

“He asked about them frequently and about their actual opinion of what happened. That is why he devoted part of the interview to tackle the restoration of life and reconstruction,” she said.

What Mariam al-Bassam remembers about the location of the interview is that “it was conducted above ground and on a high floor. I was surprised by the presence of Sayyed there. I asked him: You are here, how is this possible? Isn’t this a risk? He replied: leave these matters to the security. We are in the same boat.”

This was the memory of the victory. After raising its banners on the highest peaks of Lebanon’s strong history, al-Bassam concludes her interview with al-Ahed by saying “to be remembered and repeated.”

It seems as if British Jewish pressure groups have achieved their goal: anti-Semitism is now a mass movement in the UK. The rabid Zionist Algemeiner reports that “Antisemitism and virulent Israel-hatred were rife on Saturday at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in London.”

The Jewish press seems to be upset by a pro-Palestinian march that assembled at the offices of the BBC, not too far from a synagogue. I guess that the rationale is simple: once London is dotted with synagogues, human rights enthusiasts will be pushed out of the city. They will have to gather somewhere out of the green belt.

Jewish outlets complain that participants brandished ‘antisemitic badges and placards,’ such as “Israel provokes anti-Semitism.” I am puzzled. Is this really an anti-Semitic statement? If anything, it is an attempt to identify the cause of anti-Semitism.

Jewish outlets are also upset by images of the Star of David crossed with a swastika. To start with, those who equate Israel with Nazi Germany actually contemplate the memory of the Holocaust and are by no means ‘deniers.’ I guess that the time is ripe for Zionists and supporters of Israel to accept that in consideration of the ongoing Israeli racist crime in Palestine, the Star of David has become a symbol of evil in the eyes of many.

The Jewish press is upset by the slogan “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” that calls for Israel’s destruction. I would actually expect Jews who seem to be upset by the Hitlerian concept of an ‘Aryans-only state’ to accept that the concept of a ‘Jews-only state’ is equally disturbing.’ They should support Israel becoming ‘a state of its citizens’ and accept that sooner or later this state will evolve into Palestine, from the river to the sea.

The Jewish press is totally irritated by Jewish Voice for Labour’s Secretary Glyn Secker, who claimed that pro-Israel Labour officials were a “fifth column” in the party and asked, “What on earth are Jews doing in the gutter with these rats?”* I would remind my readers that Jewish Voice for Labour (JVL) is itself a Jewish racist exclusive political body that wouldn’t accept non-Jews into its ranks. I have wondered more than once how it is possible that the anti-racist Jeremy Corbyn is willing to be associated with such a body. However, in his statement (if quoted correctly by the Jewish press), secretary Glyn Secker actually expresses the most disturbing tribal supremacist view. He looks down at a bunch of labour MPs whom he labels ‘rats’ and call for his Jewish brethren to disassociate from these low creatures. Glyn, in practice, sustains the Jew/Goy binary divide. He should actually receive the Kosher weekly award rather than be abused by the Zionist league.

But we can be reassured. Campaign Against Antisemitism has already confirmed that they are “reviewing the evidence that we gathered today. Where crimes have been committed, we will work with the authorities to ensure that there are arrests and prosecutions.”

The facts on the ground are undeniable. The more Jewish bodies campaign against anti-Semitism the more opposition to Jewish politics is detected. The relentless Zionist campaign against Corbyn didn’t hurt him, as he is still leading in most national election polls. Branding Nigel Farage as an anti-Semite didn’t touch the man whose party is polling higher than the Tories and Labour combined in the coming European Parliament election. One way to look at it is to argue that Brits are not moved by the Jewish anti-Semitism hysteria. Another way to look at it is to conclude that Brits are actually grossly disturbed by the anti-Semitism frenzy. Being hated by the Zionist lobby has become a badge of honour, an entry ticket to Britain’s political premiership.

Update: Glyn Secker denies the Jewish press report and published his own account.

*

My battle for truth and freedom involves some expensive legal services. I hope that you will consider committing to a monthly donation in whatever amount you can give. Regular contributions will enable me to avoid being pushed against a wall and to stay on top of the endless harassment by Zionist operators attempting to silence me.

Kamel Hawwash: Trump’s Deal of the Century, A Mirage Already Rejected by Palestinians

TEHRAN (FNA)- Academic and activist Kamel Hawwash believes that Trump administration is “naïve” to think that Palestinians would accept his so-called Deal of the Century to end their struggle in return for “economic prosperity”.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with FNA, Kamel Hawwash shared his opinion with us that the status of the holy city of Jerusalem al-Quds and the issue of the Palestinian refugees are key issues that Trump administration has tried to take off the negotiation’s table.

According to the Palestinian academic, “Israel is the child of racist ideology of Zionism” which has been designed to “put the interests of the Jewish Zionists ahead of all others, including the indigenous Palestinians”.

Kamel Hawwash is a British-Palestinian engineering professor based at the University of Birmingham. Hawwash is a longstanding campaigner for justice, especially for the Palestinian people. He is the Chair of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) and a founding member of the British Palestinian Policy Council (BPPC).

FNA has conducted an interview with Kamel Hawwash about Israel’s brutal crackdown on Palestinian protesters, the Israeli legislation known as the nation state law and also Trump’s so-called deal of the century.

Below you will find the full text of the interview.

Q: It seems that killing scores of people and maiming thousands more over the past several months aren’t an indication of what Israel thinks is enough to keep Gaza in check. Do you think Israel’s deadly clamp down on Palestinian protesters is going to end anytime soon?

A: Ever since its inception in 1948 through violence and terror, Israel has treated the indigenous Palestinians as a lesser people than Jewish Israelis. It has systematically denied all the basic rights expected by any other people. This includes the right to self-determination and the right for Palestinian refugees, expelled in 1948 to return to their homes. Since March 2018, Palestinians in Gaza have been marching peacefully to demand a lifting of the illegal and immoral siege on the beleaguered strip and to be allowed to return peacefully to their homes. Instead of meeting their peaceful and legitimate demands, Israel met their protests with deadly fire, deploying tens of snipers that shoot to kill, sometimes at distances of hundreds of meters. Among the over 200 dead have been children, journalists and medics. There are no signs that the Great March of return will end soon or that Israel will stop attacking protesters at the Gaza fence.

Q: What do you think the protests known as the ‘Great March of Return’ have accomplished so far?

A: The protests have highlighted the plight of Palestinians in Gaza but also the unjust situation all Palestinians find themselves in, nearly 72 years after their dispossession and expulsion. The GMR has also shown the world that Palestinians are resilient. They will not give up on their cause, no matter what Israel and its allies do. On the same day as the United States opened its new Embassy in Jerusalem, against all international understandings and before the ‘deal of the century’ was announced, Palestinians marched to the Gaza fence in their tens of thousands. The murder by Israel of over 60 Palestinians has not broken them. Nine months after the start of the march, they continue to protest. The GMR has also shown the world that Palestinians across all political factions can come together to face the common enemy Israel, putting aside their differences. Israel’s violent response has exposed the brutality of the extremist regime governing what many see as a rogue state.

Q: How do you think the US and some Arab states are complicit in crimes against the Palestinians especially in light of the discreet links between Israel and Saudi Arabia and some other Persian Gulf states?

A: The US funds Israel to the tune of over $3 billion per annum. It also provides Israel with a de facto veto at the UN Security Council, shielding it from accountability. It also provides it with cover for its crimes against the Palestinians, claiming it is entitled to self-defense. As an occupying power, it is not entitled to self-defense. In fact, it is obligated to protect the people it occupies and to refrain from committing crimes against them including land theft and moving its civilians into these occupied areas.

Arab states have not acted in the best interests of the Palestinian people, and some have embarked on steps to normalize relations with what is effectively an Apartheid state that occupies Arab people. Not only have Israeli sports teams performed in [Persian] Gulf States, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu recently visited Oman, followed closely by other minster visiting Oman and the UAE.

Q: In July 2018, the so-called nation state law was adopted by Israeli Knesset. What do you think the legislation shows about the nature of the regime in Tel Aviv?

A: Israel is the child of racist ideology of Zionism. It was never designed to be anything but a state that put the interests of Jewish Zionists ahead of all others, including the indigenous Palestinians. Its policies discriminate against Palestinians, whether in Gaza, East Jerusalem or the rest of the West Bank. It also discriminates against the Palestinian citizens of Israel in all areas of life, while providing a facade that claims that it is a democracy for all. The adoption of the nation state law in July entrenches its racism and articulates its own form of Apartheid. It gives the right of self-determination only to Jews, provides every Jew around the world with a right to emigrate to it but denies the right of return to Palestinian refugees. It also sees the building and expansion of settlements as a national value. With this law, Israel basically challenged the world, saying ‘I am an apartheid state, what are you going to do about it’? The world has been silent, thus providing it with a continuation of the impunity it has enjoyed.

Q: Many believe that the continuing illegal Israeli settlement activities have hammered nail after nail into the coffin of a diplomatic solution. What do you think about that?

A: Anyone who visits the occupied territories comes away questioning whether Israel has any interest in peace based on international law. Most countries believe this will come through a two state solution. However, as the number of settlers moves onwards a million and hundreds of settlements are developed connected with settler only roads and with the Apartheid Wall built deep into the occupied territories, the ‘facts on the ground’ Israel is creating have ended any prospects of a two-state solution that would meet the basic needs of Palestinians whose leadership accepted a state on 22% of their historic homeland. That is not only damaging for the prospects of peace, it also places all the countries that continue to hold out for a two-state in difficulty as they have no alternative to that. However, calls for one democratic state for all inhabitants of historic Palestine appear to be increasing.

Q: The current administration in the US has been boasting about their new plan for Palestine and even calling it the deal of the century. What do you think would be in the new deal for the Palestinians?

A: The deal of the century seems to be a mirage. No details have emerged and it has been promised for a launch for months but with no firm date. The Palestinians have already rejected a US made plan after US President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city. Jerusalem and the issue of the refugees are key final status issues that Trump has attempted to take off the negotiation’s table. With Netanyahu claiming Israel must have security control from the river Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea, there is very little that the ’deal of the century’ can compensate for exclusion of these issues from future negotiations. The deal is likely to focus on economic prosperity for Palestinians, which this naïve American administration thinks the Palestinians will accept to end their struggle. The Great March of Return has demonstrated that the Palestinians will continue to struggle, no matter what the cost until they attain their rights.